I seriously did not mean to drop off the face of the Earth like I just did! The last two weeks have been nothing but events, presentations and finals! And when I had time to write, I just couldn't get a grip on the opening scene...hopefully I fixed it because I had to rewrite it like three times. Blegh! Thankfully one of my best buddies aa826 has been reminding me to post and making sure I haven't lost my mind when posting this chapter. :D

Natasha slammed the door to the roof behind her. She was beyond pissed. She smacked her hand against the light switch and the lights came on around the pool. Natasha then stormed up to the pool and stared into it, half tempted to dive into it in her jeans and shirt.

"Bad day?" Loki's voice carried to her.

She looked around trying to find the god but couldn't see him. She sighed and just answered, "very." As soon as she did, Loki phased into view. He was sitting with his legs crossed next to the pool.

Loki toyed with the water in front of him, making it form into tendrils. "Me too."

Natasha stared at him. She had a feeling that this wasn't information that Loki generally volunteered. She watched him play with the water for a few moments when an idea struck her. She looked over her shoulder to the door she had just come in and then looked back to Loki. "Want to have some fun?"

Loki glanced up and tilted his head. He assumed she wasn't talking about the 'fun' he wanted to have but he wanted to know.

"It requires a bit of magic," Natasha smiled at him and glanced to the door again.

"What?" Loki's curiosity was definitely peaked.

"Get us out of this tower and I will show you around the city; have some fun; get out of this damned place," Natasha told him.

"I can go invisible. I can just follow you out." Loki told her.

"No, you can't." Natasha frowned. "Fury has deemed my identity a risk at the moment and wants me to stay here in the tower."

Loki smirked, "disobeying?"

Natasha crossed her arms and raised her brows as if to challenge him.

Loki smirked more and stood. He held out his hand for her.

Natasha eyed it and decided 'what the hell.' She took his hand and he took her to the edge of the roof. She looked down to the street and then looked back up to Loki.

"Try not to struggle," Loki said and pulled her into his arms bridal style.

Natasha didn't struggle. She didn't want to struggle. It was amazing how strong he felt and she became aware of how he had a sweet yet musky scent to him. Then he took a step forward. Natasha threw her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he went over the edge. It took a moment for her to realize they were not falling and that Loki was calmly walking down the side of the building. She wasn't even being pulled down by gravity. She looked up to Loki.

"Magic boots," he explained. "Makes things easier without draining my magic."

"Next time mention it," Natasha frowned.

"What? And miss an opportunity to see Tasha nearly wet herself in fear?" Loki smirked.

Natasha swatted him. She looked around the city and then back to him, "Maybe we should be invisible?"

"We are," Loki told her.

"Then why can I see you?" Natasha asked.

"I hid us from everyone else, not from each other," he told her. She nodded and continued to hold on as he quickly made his way down the tower.

The second that Loki put Natasha down onto the ground, she took off. She wasn't sure what she was running from. It could be from Fury and his anger at her being found out. Or possibly from the god that was starting to become part of her everyday life. Maybe she was running to freedom.

Natasha stopped several blocks from the tower and tried to catch her breath. She looked around at the people who were staring at her. Apparently she was visible again. She wondered if Loki had just ditched her.

"Feel better?" Loki asked from behind.

Natasha turned to see Loki had changed his appearance to jeans, a t-shirt and shorter hair again. "Much."

"What now?" Loki looked around.

Natasha looked around and headed for a shop on the side of the street. Loki followed her in and was greeted by an interesting sweet smell. A few moments later she handed him a tan cone shape that had a pink ball of food on top.

"It's ice cream," Natasha licked at the brown 'ice cream' that she had on top of the cone. "Yours is cotton candy."

Loki gave her a quizzical look and tried the food. It was cold and possibly the best tasting thing he had ever had. He took a bite of it.

"Ooh, don't do that." Natasha winced. "Makes my teeth hurt."

Loki chuckled and did it anyway. He followed Natasha around the city. She showed him shops along the street, most of them were closing but Natasha didn't seem to be interested in actually going into the shops. Loki kept his eyes out for another one of the little ice cream shops but so far he had mostly seen clothing. He did make a mental note of some of the clothes so that he could blend in better.

They paused outside of a toy store that had already closed and Loki peered inside the window. It amazed him how many toys that the Midgardians had. He noticed that quite a few were for learning.

"Looking for something?" Natasha asked as she saw him standing on tip toe, which was almost comical in itself.

"Where are the weapons?" Loki asked.

Natasha blinked, "weapons?"

Loki nodded, "to train."

Natasha sighed. "Normal children don't train with weapons. They can take self-defense eventually though."

"Is that what you did?" Loki turned to her.

"I'm surprised Clint didn't tell you," Natasha stared into the window. She could see the little girls toys. "My childhood was somewhat different."

"He said you were trained as a super soldier in a special program," Loki told her.

"They start you out young," Natasha sighed.

"We started very young," Loki told her. "As soon as Father was sure that we could hold a pole."

Natasha didn't comment on Loki's use of 'Father' again. She just started to walk away from the shop, which Loki followed her.

"Thor and I were so different that he had other children train with us."

Natasha nodded, "The warriors three and Sif."

Loki nodded, "girls usually train in self-defense and combat to a certain age, but Sif made so much progress and was so determined that Father let her continue her training."

"Asgard is a bit backwards isn't it," Natasha commented. "Dainty women and all the strength."

Loki led them toward the towering trees that was central park. "It's not like that here."

It wasn't a question but a statement. Natasha caught herself wondering how different Loki would be if he were to have grown up on Earth instead. She sighed and decided to not think on it. She liked Loki well enough the way he was.

"Tasha?" Natasha looked up and saw Loki pointing, "What are those?"

She smiled when she saw what he was pointing at, "it's a playground. Also for kids." She let out a small giggle when Loki sprinted for the closest amusement.

He jumped up the steps and crossed the bouncy bridge which creaked underneath his weight. He leaned over the railings and stared at Natasha expectantly.

"You might want to get your ass off that, you're going to break it!" Natasha grinned.

"I am not that heavy!" Loki bounced, which made the bridge creak loudly.

"Get down!"
"Make me!" Loki smirked and then darted off to the side. He was much harder to keep up with in the dark, especially seeing as the playground was not lit very well.

Natasha headed over to the slide and peered into it to see if he was trying that. Hands wrapped around her from behind and Natasha tensed.

"Did you get to play on these?" Loki asked from behind her.

Natasha's smile fell slowly. She didn't answer him but didn't pull away either.

Loki whirled her around and grabbed her hand, dragging the Avenger up onto the steps. He was grinning that mischievous smile and stopped on the bridge to bounce around.

"You're a dork," Natasha laughed. The bridge creaked underneath them but she bounced to appease the god. He was having way too much fun with this.

"Slide?" He grabbed her hand, "down this….thing." he gestured to the tube.

"It's called a slide," Natasha laughed.

Loki frowned, "you are an imaginative lot aren't you." He dived head first. His body jerked forward until all Natasha saw was his feet.

"You're stuck aren't you?" Natasha grinned broadly.

"No." Loki wriggled inside the tube but his knee was pressed up against one side and the tube turned too quickly for his tall frame. He sighed and used a bit of magic to make him slip through the tube.

Natasha clutched her sides as she saw Loki slip out of the bottom of the tube. He jumped up and dusted himself off. Quickly the god headed for another part of the playground. He jumped onto a swing feet first. Natasha followed and sat in the swing.

"I'm going to laugh when that breaks," Natasha told him.

Loki looked up at the chains holding the swing in place, "am I really that heavy by Midgardian standards?"

"Yes," Natasha began to swing as well. "You guys weigh like three times as much as regular guys."

"How does Thor not kill Jane?" Loki snorted. Natasha raised a brow. "Thor likes to be on top."

Natasha rolled her eyes and grinned, "should I be worried that you know that?"

"I've lived with the ass for a thousand years," he swung higher. "I'm pretty sure he knows my habits too."

"Our books say you are sex-craved maniac," Natasha watched as he swung on by.

"Sounds about right," Loki smirked. "What about you? Any fun habits?"

Natasha grinned, "I get what I want."

Loki jumped off of his swing and turned to her, "what do you want?" He had a gleam in his eye that sent shivers down the red head's spine.

"I want to play on the merry-go-round," Natasha told him.

Loki blinked and then looked around, absolutely confused as to what it might be. Natasha smiled and got off the swing. She had been looking at the merry-go-round since they had gotten there. It was one of the things she had always wished she had gotten to do as a child. She headed for the metal contraption and Loki followed.

She got on top of the merry-go-round and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Natasha used one foot to move it and made it go around once. She smiled at Loki. He grinned back and got onto the merry-go-round as well. She laughed as the contraption groaned in protest and sank slightly under his weight.

"Hold on tight," Loki told her and he pushed off. She gripped onto the metal pole as they whirled around several times. She saw Loki gripping onto one of the poles as well.

"Again," Natasha grinned at him. It was as fun as she had always thought it would be. She gripped the pole as they went even faster this time. She slid down into sitting position and could see Loki grinning at her through her tendrils of hair whirling about her face. He always looked to her once they slowed waiting for instruction.

They slowed once again and Loki looked over to Natasha but she didn't answer. He tilted his head and asked, "again?"

Natasha shook her head.

"Tasha?"

"If we go again, I'm going to throw up," Natasha breathed and then laid down with her legs hanging off the edge.

Loki laughed and laid down next to her. His feet were planted firmly on the ground allowing him to turn the merry-go-round a bit. "Fun little thing."

Natasha nodded. She was looking up into the trees while waiting for her stomach to stop twirling.

They laid there for some time without saying a word. Loki continued to move the device around inch by inch, but didn't break the silence. It was comfortable. Natasha found herself wondering how long it had been since she had felt this comfortable. How long had it been since she was able to just lay down and not worry about what was going on around her.

"Loki?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you….make it so that no one could see what I was doing? Even if I were to change things around me?" Natasha asked.

"I can put up an illusion," Loki told her, he turned his head so that he could look at her. Their noses were only an inch from each other.

Natasha grinned back at him, there was one other thing that she always wanted to do. She hopped up and tugged on Loki's hand. He was heavy but Natasha got him up. She dragged him across Central Park until they ended up in front of the lake.

She shivered in anticipation and looked back at him, "an illusion over the lake?"

Loki nodded and he raised a hand in its direction.

Natasha grinned and pulled her sneakers and socks off. She had enjoyed jumping into ponds and lakes in Russia during the summer months, but too often she found herself not in a position to do so as a Shield agent. She pulled off her top and tossed it with her shoes.

Loki was curious to what the Avenger was doing, more so once he realized she was stripping. He was also curious to know what the black undergarment was that she had underneath her shirt. It was definitely intriguing and Loki wanted to play with it. Natasha had her back to the god which did not give him a great view when she discarded the black fabric. But he was more than happy when she bent down to pull off her pants. Her ass looked even better than he had thought.

Natasha sprinted as soon as she was free from clothing and dived into the cold water. It was invigorating, the way the cold rushed over her, the feeling of freedom. Her head burst out of the water and she took several deep breaths of air. It was wonderful.

"Exactly what is this?" Loki's voice sounded.

Natasha turned and she saw Loki holding up her bra. "It's a device to keep my boobs nice and perky." She laughed at the look on Loki's face.

Loki fiddled with it some more and Natasha dived back into the water. How to keep an Asgardian male busy: hand him female underwear. She came back up to the surface and pulled her hair back out of her face. She looked around for the god. She frowned when she didn't see him. Did he run off? Or did he just go back to the playground? …Did he run off with my bra?!

Natasha was pulled from her thoughts when she was hit with a wave of water. She sputtered and looked for the god of mischief. A moment later he came up to the surface and pulled his own hair back. He grinned at her.

"I think your cannonball just knocked out half the lake," Natasha said dryly.

Loki tilted his head in question. "It's more fun to splash when you jump in."

Natasha rolled her eyes and began a backstroke. It was really dark out so she surmised that Loki couldn't see that much. She stared up at the night sky and let the water go into her ears. It was peaceful.

Twenty feet away, Loki watched her as she floated along in the water. He had snuck out of his room on many occasion to swim when no one was around. It always helped him when he was stressed over his brother's idiocy or when he couldn't perform a complicated spell. He wondered what was stressing the woman. He assumed it had to do with Fury confining the agent but he wondered if it was more than that.

It was quite some time later that Natasha became aware of how long she had been just floating along. And Loki had let her be: he deserved a cookie. Natasha smirked to herself at the image of him getting a cookie every time he did good. She swam over to the god who had his eyes closed. She couldn't see much but she could tell that he was naked as well. She was surprised she didn't realize it when he had jumped in. She poked him in his side.

Loki's eyes darted open and he pulled himself upright. "Having fun?"

Natasha nodded and splashed the black haired man. She was feeling rather childish lately. She blamed it on the god.

He grinned and reached under the water to tickle her sides. She thrashed away from the tickling and turned and tickled him. This made the god jerk slightly. She smirked deviously and tried again which made Loki poke her in the stomach.

"You're ticklish," she accused. She had drifted even closer to him without realizing it.

"So are you," Loki grinned at her.

She stared into those green eyes and wondered what else she didn't know about the god. "What are you so afraid of?"

"What?" Loki asked confused.

"Thor threatened you. He said he'd tell me something you were afraid of," She bobbed in front of him.

Loki shook his head, "why would I tell you?"

Natasha pursed her lips. She then floated closer and gripped his shoulders to keep her afloat. "Tell me and we can do something fun."

Loki chuckled at that, "not a chance."

"That scared of me?" Natasha grinned.

Loki didn't answer her, but instead smirked in that mischievous way. That infuriating smirk that Natasha hated. That smirk that drove her insane.

Her lips pressed up against his before she became aware that she had leaned forward. Those lips of his that were so sweet and were pressing back against hers. Those lips that parted so that he could kiss her deeper. Her right hand now gripped the base of his head as she battled for dominance in the kiss. It was intoxicating. He nibbled his way along her bottom lip which made Natasha gasp. Loki moved downward toward her neck.

Natasha blinked and felt shivers running through her. His tongue, teeth and lips were attacking her neck in ways that made her want to moan. She stared out across the lake as he continued his assault on her senses. She blinked. I shouldn't be doing this. She pulled back slightly, but Loki continued. I shouldn't be doing this here. She pulled back even further and Loki stopped and looked at her. I shouldn't be doing this with him. She took a deep breath and headed back to the shore.

The swim back seemed to take forever. She was waiting for Loki to catch up with her and continue their kiss. She didn't know if she could stop a second time and that scared her. She pulled herself out of the water and headed for her clothes. Natasha stopped when she felt a tickling sensation move across her entire body. She turned and looked for Loki to see what he had done but he was still in the water making his way to shore. She reached down for her clothes and began to put on her underwear and jeans. This was when she realized she was completely dry.

Natasha looked over to Loki pulling himself out of the lake. As soon as he stood he waved a hand and all the water pulled off of him and fell back into the lake. He looked to Natasha who made sure that she wasn't looking at his nakedness. The god did not disappoint in that category. Natasha turned and finished putting on the rest of her clothes.

"Need to get back?" Loki asked her.

Natasha nodded. She didn't look at the god. She could feel her heart beating fast and blamed it on the fear of what Fury would do if he realized that she had been out skinny-dipping at one in the morning.

The trip back was quiet. Occasionally Loki would ask about something in a store window that they passed by, but Natasha wasn't sure if he was doing it because he was curious or to break the silence. She answered him anyway. He stopped by the ice cream shop and Natasha had to drag him away because they were closed.

"I'll tell Tony to get you some ice cream, okay?" She pushed the god toward the Stark Tower.

Loki grumbled and dragged his feet. Not long after, they found themselves at the base of the tower. Loki didn't ask this time and just pulled Natasha into his arms. Natasha wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him begin to walk up the tower. She watched the ground get further away from them and tried not to pay attention to his arms holding her up or that scent that was undeniably Loki.

Instead of making it all the way to the top, Loki headed inside a window instead. She blinked as she adjusted to the darkness of the room. Loki set her down and the lights flipped on. Natasha looked around and realized they were in one of Tony's spare bedrooms.

Loki headed for the door as Natasha glanced around a bit more. She spotted an old tomb of a book on the dresser and a fur blanket on the bed. She was in Loki's room she surmised.

"Coulson is not out there but I can still form an illusion so he can't tell that we are leaving the room," Loki said as he held his hand against the door.

"Fury might watch the cameras, we better do the illusion," she stared at the bed for a second longer before joining Loki at the door.

It was uneventful getting to her room. There was no one awake and wandering about and if there were, Loki had his illusion up to hide them.

She half expected Loki to follow her into her room but he stayed at the door.

"If I knew which room was yours from the outside, I would have just dropped you off here," he told her.

"How often do you go out your window?" Natasha questioned.

"Whenever Coulson, Fury or Thor is hanging about," he smirked.

"Good night, Loki," She shook her head.

"Night, Tasha." She heard as she closed the door. She leaned against the door as she thought about how much she had wished Loki had followed her in.

*Gets down on knees* Please Review! I have the next two weeks off so hopefully I post quite a bit in that time. :)